DISCLAIMER - Today is the third of "ten days" where some people, including myself, are going to try and read through the whole Bible where we hit the 'highlights' in a sense. The third "day" (I guess I should say time period) is scheduled below. This is just a post so we can have a discussion group on the comments section. Everyone feel free to join the discussion at ANYTIME and about ANYTHING (small or big) in the reading.
1 Kings 3, 6-12
1 Kings 17-19, 21
2 Kings 1-2, 6-7, 11-12
2 Kings 17-23
1 Chronicles 15-17, 21-22, 28-29
2 Chronicles 5-10, 14-16
2 Chronicles 24-26, 29-35
Yikes! I know almost nothing about these 4 books... It is funny, I am at the same time both afraid of this reading session to be a trip through Yawnsville and wondering if a thought like that makes any sense if this book indeed contains the very word of God... hhmmmmm.......... Here is to not judging a book by its cover and actually trusting God that He knows what He is doing.....
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1 Kings
Chapter 3
7-9 A wise request from Solomon, which makes me believe that Solomon was already wise before he asked for wisdom. It kind of seems like God already knew what He was going to grant via Solomon's request.
14 God says here basically, 'if you obey my commands like your father David..' BUT David did not follow God's commands. The Bathsheba story alone is full of evil, so there must be more to this. Only with Jesus as David's sacrifice already, his propitiation already, could these words from God maintain His JUST character. I think it at the least centers in on the heart of David in repentance as seen in Psalms 51:17 "you will not reject a broken and repentant heart, o God!"
- (a general note on all of the Temple readings) There is so much about the Temple in these readings... The only reason I could come up with is that often the physical state of the Temple followed the level of faith and love God's people on earth had at that time for Him. God knows fully well that physical reminders and action is needed for any change from the inside out to ever happen.
Chapter 8
20 Tagging onto the note about the Temple, I think we see a major purpose of God's action in the world behind this verse. Solomon was enabled by God to build the Temple 'to the honor the name of the Lord'. If His name is TRULY honored (we cannot think we can trick God by just saying Jesus and then have Him back whatever we are doing, that would be foolish).
23 Again the Bible speaks of wholehearted devotion to the Lord and not external action. Motive, heart is very important to God. He knows the fickle nature of humans.
27 Solomon is truly wise. He prayed, "But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you." In this manner, Solomon truly, wholeheartedly honors God's name.
56-61 What a prayer!! Solomon speaks of the "rest" that has been promised by God. The same "rest" that occurred on "Day 7" of the creation. But logic tells us that the maker of Heaven and Earth probably does not need rest... I think the Bible backs this up, but that rest is more like satisfaction. It is 'it is good', 'it is good', etc. and then He said 'It is REALLY good!' I think being satisfied is the idea hear. The idea ties onto the Sabbath rest, the eternal rest that God promises also in the New Testament, the rest when God makes us new and we are completely and overwhelmingly satisfied in Jesus and who He is and what He has done, when God renews creation and gives it its Sabbath rest... basically, my point here is that there is more behind this rest that Solomon speaks of.
Chapter 9
3 I am starting to see here that Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of God's promises about the Temple. Because Solomon cannot uphold His end of the deal (even though he is the wisest man to ever live!), God still pursues and provides Himself as the Temple. Jesus spoke of rebuilding the Temple in three days (John 2:19)...
4 Jesus is also the ultimate fulfillment of God's promise that one of David's descendants will always sit on the throne of Israel.
Chapter 11
1-2 I think we see here why God commanded Israel not to marry outside of the nation. Solomon is turned by his many wives form other nations to their gods. God is solely concerned about idol worship here then marriage outside of the Israeli circle... And I think there is sobering reality to all of the legalists here. In 2 and the verses following we really see how even the wisest man to ever live could not live up to God's holy standard. The human race is done for unless God intervenes.
14 I am struck about how Solomon's adversary was raised by the Lord to be so even during the good years of Solomon's reign. It should not be surprising I guess though. God is always sovereign. Purpose is behind every action.
Chapter 12
15 The hearts of kings are always in the hand of the Lord.
There is a lot of language that speaks to God's sovereignty in this chapter. I don't think we should miss that.
Chapter 17
All of this is occurring to make Elijah depend solely on God. Not unlike the testing and trials that are spoken of in many places in the Bible including 1 Peter.
Chapter 18
21 Reminds me of Rev. 3:16 "So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth." That's weighty. I think we should all check our idols. And this is not golden calf or greek god worship. Tim Keller defines an idol like so: "anything in your life that is so central to your life that if you lose it you don't have any meaning; you can't do w/out it". Some examples are: Examples: family, children, job, achievement, competence, beauty, political, social success, moral record, religiosity, ministry success, academic excellence, financial achievement, family connections, self-expression.
46 Elijah seems like a cartoon superhero here running with "special strength". It seems out of place but I guess that nothing is impossible with God.
Chapter 19
I am struck by the fact that Elijah had enough faith to face down a whole nation worshipping Baal, but not enough to face down Jezebel. What happened? Was Elijah in a sense drunk with the attention and now the queen cannot at any moment kill him in some dark alley away from the eye of any onlooker?
11-13 The violent shakings of nature here I think are simply witness to the fact that ALL things quake in God's presence. I am then struck by the whispering of God to Elijah in 12. My heart burns because it shows how God holds Himself WAY back in order to come down and meet us. Speaking on the incarnation of Jesus, CS Lewis wrote once that we might get just the smallest of glimpses into what it might have been like if we imagine the implications of us turning into snails...
14-18 The humanness of Elijah really shows as he is he wallows in pity and pride. With great restraint, God declares that all of the power continues to remain solely in His hands. Elijah cannot help but be changed after this event.
20 2 things: Doesn't Jesus condemn someone in the Gospels for responding similar to Elisha, that he will go see about his family before following? And what does Elijah mean when he says, "think about what I have done to you"?
Chapter 21
17-22 I am confused why Elijah changed the message that the Lord had for Ahab. I guess he was a man of God and had the same sentiment/emotion of God's message
25-28 2 things: We see that "no on else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the sight of the Lord" as Ahab did. And we see that his worst sin was worshipping idols... and even so, God has mercy to even the most "Evil" man if they humble themselves before God.
2 Kings
Chapter 1
3-4 God has broken Elijah. Elijah cannot not help but obey and take this strong message to the king. Before his trials he would not have been able to do so.
2 things: There is an incredible amount of dialogue recorded between God and Elijah. Like Elijah said in 10 he really is a man of God. What in Elijah's character made him so? I know Psalms 51:17 speaks well of David's heart and explains why he was a man after God's own heart... I would guess at least that faith is a strong quality of Elijah that set him apart. He often acted with full faith in God's will.
Chapter 2
Why was Elijah taken to heaven in the chariot? I thought I was going to find out a backstory through this reading, but it sort of just happens... Is it pointing to when Elijah comes back in spirit in John the Baptist?
9 Elisha's asking of the spirit echoes Solomon's request for wisdom. Both are true qualities of God... possibly both are requests for more of God Himself (the Holy Spirit, Jesus is described by Paul in 1 Corinthians as wisdom itself).
24 sticks out like a sore thumb. This is at the very least very childish of Elisha. I don't get the reason that he caused the two bears to maul the 42 children. That is hard to understand....
Chapter 6
16-17 There is a lot here in these two verses. It shows Elisha's great faith, but I don't remember a place where it so clearly speaks to the magnitude of the reality of spiritual warfare.
28-29 makes me shudder. The Bible sure does not hide reality.
Chapter 7
I can't help but notice that everything happening here shows God as most glorious, then if the alternative would have happened.
Chapter 17
35-39 There is a lot on worship idols and the implications throughout these readings. God is as straight forward with His command to worship Him only as anywhere. 31 speaks of their own children being burned in sacrifice to these idols. In a sense that is still happening today. We sacrifice our children in pursuit and worship of modern idols.
2 Kings
Chapter 19
25-28 I think the implications of a sovereign God are mighty deep here. His sovereignty is so expansive that if He made it known as He does here it would make the proudest man humble... He has planned everything from long ago! How can we boast? How do we not see it all as a gift? Even the plans, of one of the most powerful men on the earth at that time, are but dust to God... The full implications of a sovereign Lord are weighty and relevant to everyone.
31 I might be off, but I really think that the "Lord of Heaven's Armies" often, if not all the time, refers to Jesus. "The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven's Armies will make this happen!" Prophesied here by the same man (Isaiah) that does so quite a bit in his self-titled book.
Chapter 20
2 How can the King say that he "always" did what pleased the Lord? The Bible is clear that no man is capable... And why does God so quickly heal him? I know he prayed with tears, but I know SO MANY who prayed with tears and did not receive what they wanted.
10-11 And this man has the gall to ask for a sign for this to happen! I think that part of the story is a bit odd. God can do anything, but it seems trivial?
19 Was it a sin for Hezekiah to show off like that? I guess the real reason why the Babylon exile happened was for the nation's lack of Sabbath and Jubilee Years (2 Chronicles 36) so I guess it wasn't his fault. But isn't it still a bit evil for Hezekiah to not even care about the fate of his nation and sons?? I guess he was at peace with God's sovereign will... and that is a very wise and good thing.
Chapter 21
14 He will hand over His remnant, BUT will NOT destroy it. 19:31 as well as many other places in the Old Testament speak of the "remnant" as God's people He has elected in a sense. He will do much to keep them for Himself. Such strong language against the remnant is quite rare, I think, here. But the point is that God does not destroy, He keeps pursuing...
Chapter 22
I really like this chapter. It is crazy that Israel LOST the Bible. But it is great to see passion for it restored when it is found.
18-20 I think this is a wise example to follow as we pray for our cities. He does not reject a "broken and contrite heart" (Psalms 51)
Chapter 23
Josiah is certainly a man of God doing God's work on earth... I think it speaks again to the fact that God chooses to work through man when He could very well just do the job instantly and flawlessly.
25 I have a problem with this verse. Josiah did not obey "all of the laws of Moses". He would have been able to save Himself.... I think this is spoken to in the verse after as even this reform could not be held up to God's holy standard.
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